**1. Introduction**

Grapevine (*Vitis vinifera L*.) represent an important economical and nutritional crop worldwide. Grapes can be consumed as fresh products or processed goods such as wine, jam, jelly, grape seed extract, vinegar, juice, raisins, grape seed oil and pekmez. Grape and wines are among the richest sources of phenolic compounds, including hydroxybenzoic and hydroxycinnamic acids, phenolic alcohols, flavan-3-ol monomers, flavonols, stilbenes, anthocyanins, oligomeric and polymeric procyanidins [1]. In their chemical composition we can find micronutrients, as vitamins B1, B6, C and minerals, as manganese and potassium.

Grapes are known to poses high amounts of carbohydrates and this makes them very vulnerable to damage by diverse fungal pests and insects [2]. High susceptibility to biotic stress of grape varieties can led to important economic loses, reduction of wine quality and undesirable sensory characteristics. Vines and grapes can be affected by a large number of diseases, such as downy mildew (*Plasmopara viticola*), powdery mildew (*Uncinula necator*), black rot (*Guignardia bidwellii*), Botrytis rot (*Botrytis cinerea*), Eutypa dieback (*Eutypa lata*), Phomopsis cane and leaf spot (*Phomopsis viticola*) and sour rot (*Aspergillus niger, Alternaria tenius, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium herbarum, Rhizopus arrihizus,* and *Penicillium spp.*), and many others. The high disease pressure and lack of genetically resistant cultivars have encouraged the use of large amounts of pesticides in vineyards, in order to generate stable yields and high-quality grapes [3]. During the grape production season and later on in winemaking, producers have identified small amounts of pesticides and named them residues. Every year, around 2 million tonnes of different pesticides are used worldwide and it is predicted that the use of pesticides in entire global production will increase up to 3.5 million tonnes [4]. Spraying grapes has to be done multiple times during the vine developmental stages and pesticide residues have been reported in literature by different authors [5].

The use of pesticides in vineyard is a conventional and ancient agricultural practice, which brings many benefits but, unfortunately, some disadvantages as well. Concerns regarding the exposition over a long period of time to pesticide residues present in wines have gained attention in the scientific community. In some cases, inappropriate agricultural practices are used during the application of these active substances in the vineyard. As a result, the amount of pesticide residues on grapes at harvest time exceeds the permitted level by national and international regulations. Alongside with the environmental risks, high amounts of pesticide residues may influence the quality of grapes and wines. Constant consumption of wine or grapes (and indirectly of pesticide residues), can provoke health issues to many consumers. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor the presence of pesticides and regulate their amount in grapes in order to prevent potential health risks. In the European Union, the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides permitted in products of vegetable origin intended for human consumption is establishes by Regulation 396/2005/EC [6]. Also, the MRLs limits and the analysis methods are regulated by various internationals directives [6, 7]. In grapes, the MRLs for pesticide residues often range between 0.01 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg depending on the pesticide, but in some cases higher limits are allowed.

Pesticide residues on grapes may be transferred during winemaking in the juice/must and later to the wine. This means a toxicological risk to consumers despite the fact that winemaking processes (crushing, pressing, fermentation, filtration and stabilization, etc.) can considerably decrease pesticides residues from wines [8]. Each phytosanitary product used in vineyards has a different mode of action which may explain the differences that were observed during analysis. Pesticide residues stability during fermentation and fining stages are factors of concern during winemaking. In red wine production, the maceration-fermentation stage take place in contact with grape skins, leading to greater residue amounts in raw wine. These types of residues can be adsorbed into solid state during fermentation or filtered out in the fining stages.

Grapes and wines are an indispensable part of people's lifestyle. The world surface devoted to the culture of grapevine is 7.3 million ha, and in Europe is 3.3 million ha [9]. Within the EU, according to the latest available data for 2020, Spain has the topmost area cultivated with vines (961 thousands of hectares-kha), followed by France (797 kha), Italy (719 kha), Portugal (194 kha), Romania (190 kha), Germany (103 kha). World wine consumption in 2020 was estimated at 260 million hectolitres (mhl) and in the EU at 165 mhl. Wine consumption was very high for USA-33.0 mhl, France-24.7 mhl, Germany-19.8 mhl, China-12.4 mhl, Spain-9.6 mhl, Portugal-4.6 mhl, Romania-3.8 mhl, Belgium-2.6 mhl and Switzerland-2.6 mhl [9].

#### *Management of Pesticides from Vineyard to Wines: Focus on Wine Safety and Pesticides Removal… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98991*

The possible impact of pesticide residues on winemaking stages is a complex subject, and one that has a limited number of literature reports. The influence of pesticide residues on the grapes is a potential source of oenological concerns and can induce wine spoilage and undesired outcomes. The fermentation stage can be disturbed due to the active ingredients of pesticide residues in the must and thus, the quality and structure of wine can be negatively impacted. Pesticide residues can inhibit the yeast activity at the enzyme level and block the cellular metabolic processes of the yeast, leading to problems during the fermentation stage. Pesticide residues impacts on grapes can be influenced by the content of pesticides used in the vineyard, spraying method, spraying time, number of applications and the time difference between last application and harvest.

The morphology, size, and quality requirements of agricultural products are different, thus, influencing the overall content of pesticide residues. In winemaking stages, residues are transferred from the grapes to the wine, in accordance with the physical–chemical properties of their active ingredients, such as vapor pressure, solubility, boiling point, and octanol–water partition coefficient [10]. Processing of grapes using established winemaking techniques can influence the content of residues found in the juice and wine, but it is well established that, in general, wines have lower concentrations than must or grapes [11]. Environmental conditions such as sunlight, temperature and humidity can play a significant role in the kinetic and dynamic behavior of pesticides. In addition, other techniques for reducing pesticides are grape storage and washing processes that can minimize their potential adverse repercussion on human health.

A European Union recent report showed that pesticide residues could be found in more than 86% of grapes; moreover, multiple residues were reported in over 68% of tested samples (in total 2181 table grape samples) [12]. Under these conditions, it is highly recommended to speed up the pesticide residues analysis and come up with reliable, cheap and easy to use methods for identification, quantification and removal of such compounds from grapes, juices and wines.
